Pocono Schools Presented with Post-Labor Day Start

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The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau is taking action in an effort to rebound from the poor economy and rough winter.

Several tourism officials want all school districts in the Poconos to start the next school year after Labor Day.

It has been a challenging winter in the Poconos. The snow isn't falling as much, which is impacting the tourism industry.

"The business community is still hurting and we need to find every reasonable way to help grow our business," said Carl Wilgus of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.

To do that, the bureau has formed the Coalition for Post Labor Day School Opening.

Its plan calls for all school districts in Monroe, Wayne, Carbon and Pike counties to start school after Labor Day for the next three years.

"Everybody is talking about jobs, keeping people employed. Right now, with the pre-Labor Day school opening, we're taking a lot of students and teachers who work part time over the summer out of the labor mix to go back to school when they could be working for an extra week or so," said Wilgus.

The resort's president believes a post-Labor Day school opening would mean better business.

"When you don't have someone to work, you provide less guest services and in many cases can't open your operation because you don't have anyone to work," said Ed Mayotte of Skytop Lodge.

The Coalition for Post-Labor Day School Opening started presenting its plan to school districts throughout the Poconos this week. So far they went before the school board at Pocono Mountain and at Stroudsburg. Pocono Mountain has already adopted the idea to start school after Labor Day and Stroudsburg is considering it.

The coalition will eventually present the post-Labor Day school opening plan to all school districts except for Lake Wallenpaupack, which already starts after Labor Day.